Sinkhole risk in Wood County, OH: Pockets of it

Pockets of it

Soluble rock at the surface or under thin cover in part of the county.

On soluble rock: 100%
At or near the surface: 0%
Buried under cover: 100%

The next step for one property

Check the parcel against your state survey sinkhole map, and ask for an inspection if cracks, depressions or sticking doors show up.

That works out to roughly 617 of Wood County's 617 square miles on soluble rock. With about 133,077 residents (216 per square mile), there is effectively nowhere in the county off the soluble rock, town or country. The figures come from 327 map points about 1.4 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Two things to read before deciding: why the 100% under cover still counts, and the signs to look for and how an inspection works.

Counties around Wood County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Monroe County, MI, about 39 miles north, close enough that the same rock may run under the county line. 3 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Henry County, OH 23 mi west · 0% at surface
Lucas County, OH 24 mi north · 0% at surface
Sandusky County, OH 25 mi east · 0% at surface
Hancock County, OH 25 mi south · 0% at surface
Seneca County, OH 31 mi southeast · 0% at surface
Fulton County, OH 31 mi northwest · 0% at surface

Which formation it is

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Lockport Dolomite (dolostone (dolomite)), Silurian in age, covering about 38% of the county. Next is the Tymochtee and Greenfield Formations, Undivided at 33%.

Against the rest of Ohio

Wood County ranks 87 of 88 in Ohio for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 0% of US counties on that measure.